Do the religions of the world worship the same God? This fundamental question begs an answer to
this question: What is Truth?
Christianity is built upon several presuppositions about
knowledge and Truth which must be understood which will then answer the first
question.
Truth exists and is knowable by mankind. Not simply truth from my perspective, but Truth that exists apart from my belief or disbelief in it. If Truth doesn’t exist, or if it is unknowable, humanity’s quest for it has been doomed from the start and the meaning of life cannot be determined.
Truth claims that are mutually exclusive cannot both be true. In other words, either God exists or God doesn’t exist, both can’t be true; either humanity is fallen/corrupt or humanity is inherently good, both can’t be true, etc.
The religions of the world make mutually exclusive Truth claims, not complimentary ones. If reincarnation is real, then the Eastern religions are correct and the Western ones are wrong. If there is only one God, then the monotheists are right and the polytheists are incorrect, etc.
The Truth claims of Christianity are exclusive. Christianity requires the belief in the divine/human nature of Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious death and resurrection. If this is True, it negates the Truth claims of all the other world religions, for none of them afford Jesus Christ his exclusive role as Savior and Lord.
The basis
of Christian Truth claims is the revealed Word of God. Christians don’t claim to have discovered
the Truth, they are only recipients of Truth that has been given by God. The Word of God forms the basis for all
Christian theology and morality.
Do the religions of the world worship the same God? No, no they don’t, for their claims regarding
who that God is, what that God has done, and what that God requires of humanity
are mutually exclusive. It is on this
basis that Christians have, since the founding of the Church, sought to share
the Gospel with those who do not believe, it is not an act of arrogance, nor
does it derive from a sense of superiority; Christian evangelism is driven by
compassion, for just as God desires that none should perish by failing to
believe in his Son, so too do his people want their fellow man to find God’s
grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.
